The Stars
by Fhal
Summary: "What'd you wish for?" "...You really want to know?" "Well, not really." Ike's cheerfulness dropped a level at the answer. Light Ike x Marth. One-shot.


The Stars

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"Ike."

Ike looked up from his spot on the grass. It was a cold night, one that was meant to be spent indoors. A fog of white could seen each time he exhaled. But the swordsman was tired of being pent up in the mansion. Not even the beautifully constructed false landscapes of the battle stages could keep him from the great outdoors. The prince had expected as much, hence in no time managed to pinpoint Ike's exact location outside the manor.

"Care to join me for some stargazing?" The tiara on Marth's head shimmered slightly as he shook his head to decline.

"They've started the fire inside. You'll catch a cold if you stay out any longer."

"We could start one out here too." Ike smiled slightly when the prince gave a brief chuckle.

"I'd prefer not to risk burning down the forests here." Thanks to numerous encounters during the wars, Marth was all too aware of the dangers of fire.

"There's nothing to worry about in this world. It's all too perfectly crafted; Master Hand could have the place converted to a desert if it wanted to."

"I suppose..." Looking skyward, the prince noted the amount of starry clusters. There were a few that were falling as well; it was really a spectacular sight to see so many shooting stars at once.

"I've never seen something like this back home..." Both swordsman watched; one, two, three... the stars fell one by one, yet seemed easily replaced not long later. "But is it real?"

"Probably not, but it sure is pretty." A light pat on the patch of grass next to him was all it took to have Marth seated. It was slightly damp, but it made little difference since the monarch could already feel the chilling air around them.

"I still have a hard time believing we ended up here." Marth lowered his gaze, once more focus on Ike. "It's... peaceful."

Ike laughed at the comment. "What, you call having a brawl with crazy weapons everyday 'peaceful'?"

A slight tinge of red coloured the prince's features. "Well, no. But no one gets hurt... I mean, gets injured permanently."

"I know." The stars twinkled brightly, some aligned in notable configurations that Ike may have read about in a book or two. "Doesn't seem real at all, does it?"

Marth wasn't sure if Ike was commenting on his statement or referring to the sky. He decided to not answer. "In Tellius, what were your people's view on falling stars?" The ranger still kept his eyes on the sky, so the royal looked back up as well.

"I can't really say much... I only remember gazing up at stars with Mist as a child. I guess over the years, you just don't notice them as much." Ike scratched his head. Fallen stars were never something he pondered about. "Although... in a storybook that my father read to me once, I think it did mention something about stars falling from the sky and destroying an army."

Marth's eyes went wide; now _that_ was something he didn't hear everyday. "I wish a falling star had come down on Medeus before I had to get to him." Ike laughed again, picturing the all mighty Lord of the Darkness that Marth often told stories about knocked out by a bright light. In a way it almost could've worked.

"In Akaneia, do they mean anything special? The falling stars."

The monarch put a finger to his lips, a common thinking pose that Ike noticed became a habit for the shorter male. "From what Elice had told me, if a star was to fall, we should make a wish."

"...A wish?"

"Well, the stars are like soldiers of the sky. When one falls, it's as if they've come down to Akaneia to complete a mission, and when we make a wish that becomes the mission the stars fulfill." It was a strange superstition, but nonetheless it was greatly practised in their world. Not that shooting stars were a common occurrence, of course; Marth had only seen them once back home.

"Oh? Well that's far more interesting than what I had to say about them." He looked around in the sky, and having spotted what he wanted, he clasped his hands together quickly and closed his eyes.

"...Ike, are you taking me seriously and making a wish?"

"Yes." Marth smiled at the other male's actions. It was times like this that he remembered Ike was actually younger than him. "Alright, now let's see how true your Akaneian beliefs are!" An enthusiastic fist was thrown into the air; Ike's attention quickly reverting to Marth.

"What'd you wish for?"

"...You really want to know?"

"Well, not really." Ike's cheerfulness dropped a level at the answer.

"It's about you."

"It is?"

"So, do you want to know?"

"You don't have to tell me unless you want to."

"C'mon."

"Ike, just tell me since you want to so badly."

"Fine. Come closer." Marth scooted over to the soldier. He hadn't realized how stiff his limbs had gotten from staying out in the cold for so long. Ike brought his hands forward, cupping Marth's cheeks. "You're so cold..."

"We _have _been out here for longer than I would've liked..." As he spoke, the clouded breath blurred his vision slightly. Ike was so close to him, making the man's features the only thing in Marth's view. "You're not going to warm up by holding me, Ike."

"...I'm pretty sure I could."

"How? We've both been out here enough to be frozen stiff. Let's head back. You can tell me about your wish inside." The monarch pulled his friend's hands away. Standing up and giving his mantle a small readjustment, he headed back towards the lit manor. Ike stood as well, taking one last look at the sky.

"Guess you couldn't help either..."

:::::::

"Pit, stop getting so close to it; you're gonna get burned." The angel hovered over the warm fireplace, ignoring the advice of the Hylian Hero.

"Don't worry. It's not gonna get all the way up here." The door to the lounge opened at that moment, bringing with it a gust of wind. The fire stretched out with its aid, and immediately the angel yelped and pushed off the wall to get away.

"So, what did we learn?" Pit scowled at the remark, not willing to acknowledge defeat.

"Marth, what were you doing out there? It's freezing!" Despite that, Marth looked Pit from head to toe.

"It may be freezing, but you're still wearing the same clothes as always. A few extra layers would be good for you, Pit." Pit frowned again. _Was everyone trying to be his mother today?_ Marth smiled and sat next to Mario on one of the couches. All the members of the tournament had gathered around the fire tonight; it was truly a rare sight to see. Even the ever mysterious Mr. Game & Watch was beeping around with the children on the carpet. "I was just escorting the last of us back inside." He pointed behind him, where Ike had just walked through the door. Giving his feet a few taps to remove some moisture, he closed the door at last. A brief sigh took over the room as warmth returned.

"You're crazy, Ike." That was the only welcome from Link he'd receive for now.

"Um, thanks?"

"Why were you out there, anyways?"

"Stars." The answer wasn't what Link had expected, as he directed his confused look at the soldier. At that moment, Fox looked out the window at the stars as well.

"Meh, I've seen nicer." Falco gave a light 'Pfft'.

"Sorry for being primitive." A part of Ike really hated the fact that he was behind when it came to the insane 'technologies' of the worlds. The fact that he could open a door with a card and not a key still worked like magic to him. Marth was no different though, and it gave the ranger some comfort knowing he had someone like him in the tournament.

"I've never seen anything like it though... The numerous falling stars was so unnaturally beautiful." Marth thought back to few moments ago and remembered something. "Ike, what was your wish?"

Ike's eyes went a little wide. At once, the attention of the room honed in on Ike. _Damnit Marth; you're not supposed to ask with everyone around!_ Ness couldn't help but interrupt. "You mean you guys were wishing upon shooting stars? That's for kids, isn't it?" To Marth's surprise, it seemed the idea of wishing on stars wasn't only for Akaneia.

"It's a mere myth in my world, yes. But I don't remember it being for children only."

Zelda thought on this as well. She even engaged in a brief discussion with Link to recall if shooting stars meant anything in Hyrule. Fox and Falco just gave cheeky grins. Even Wolf smirked a bit at the idea. Chances were, they had _been_ a shooting star themselves.

"Let's not stray from the topic, guys!" Captain Falcon raised his hand to get some silence. "Ike! What's that wish of yours? Tell us, would you?" Ike couldn't even get a word out to reject. All eyes were on him, whether they were truly interested or not.

"I-I..." As the swordsman stuttered, the prince started to feel bad. Maybe he should have mentioned it when the two of them were isolated.

"...Is it something embarrassing?" Pit tried to read the man's expression. It was somewhere between irritation and discomfort, or both. They weren't that different, anyway.

"No... it's just... well. Kind of silly, I guess. I'm pretty sure it'll never come true." He fidgeted a little and looked to the floor instead.

"Don't say that, Ike! Miracles do happen, you know." Peach was a romantic; from the novels she read, the impossible happy end was always somehow attained. It just took a lot of work and perseverance.

"I agree with Peach. You never know about what is uncertain, so you shouldn't just brush off the slight chances of it occurring." The princesses clasped their hands together and started a quiet discussion about the times Mario and Link had saved them. The two men blushed, trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I... um..." But the blue prince stood up. He couldn't just let Ike get eaten alive by the audience.

"It's alright if you're uncomfortable; I'm the only one you have to tell. Just whisper it into my ear." Some complaints and boos came from all sides. The people wanted to know, yet it was fair if Ike didn't want to tell. But Marth didn't know why his actions caused the opposite of what he expected. Instead of being relaxed, the Crimean soldier tensed up even more. "Ike?" He walked forward. Unfortunately, he didn't notice Game & Watch throwing bits and pieces around to entertain the children. "Wuh-!" He slid forward on a stray piece and fell right into Ike. Gasps were heard when the two of them tumbled to the ground, barely missing Lucas who was too focused on what Game & Watch could do.

"...?"

"Uh."

"...Oh my."

The comments came one after another.

"Guys, don't do this in public."

The fall had resulted in a kiss between the swordsmen. Marth broke away as soon as he could, but there were already cheers of "Way to go, Marth!" and "Where's the mistletoe!" and even "I knew it!" thrown their way. The prince even curled up slightly from humiliation and apologized constantly to Ike, who was still in the same position he fell.

"...It came true."

As if Master Hand had hit the mute button on the room, the place fell dead silent. The faces of men fell with it. The faces of girls lit up. But until Ike sat up again and looked at the crimson coloured prince, not a sound was heard.

"M-my wish... just came true." The ranger reached forward at the partially frozen monarch and hugged him. By then, the room erupted. No one could find the right words to describe it, and some were just laughing at the unusual event that just happened. But the noisy celebration couldn't keep Marth from hearing the words whispered into his ear: "My wish... was a kiss from you."

To that, there was only one response.

"You could've just asked."

So they tried again, properly. 

END.

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Sappy Winter fanfic for the holidays! I'm sure if Falco had some toast, he'd be choking at what Marth and Ike are doing. Heck, maybe the others are too drunk to care.

-Fhal


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